The invention relates to computerized telecommunications. More particularly, the invention relates to processes and apparatus for message storage and retrieval in such systems.
Telephone messaging machines, systems and methods are known in the art. For example, a telephone messaging system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,533, entitled xe2x80x9cSystem For Providing Automatic Voice Messaging In A Digital Network Environmentxe2x80x9d and issued to Carter et al., hereby incorporated herein by reference. This system is intended for use with digital telephone systems and provides a voice messaging capability when the calling party is unable to reach another party because the another party is using their telephone, providing the calling party with a normal busy signal, or does not answer their telephone, providing the calling party with a xe2x80x9cring no answerxe2x80x9d situation.
However, many other kinds of situations may result in an incomplete call. The system described in the above-referenced patent does not provide a capability for storing a message when, for example, a modem or a facsimile machine answers the calling party.
Other situations in which the calling party may be frustrated in efforts to reach another party may stem from a variety of different causes. These may include busy or inoperative trunk lines, a busy exchange that cannot accommodate additional calls at that time (both of which later may result in a xe2x80x9cfast busyxe2x80x9d signal) or the another party""s phone line or lines being busy (i.e., xe2x80x9cnormal busyxe2x80x9d or engaged. Further causes may include a xe2x80x9cring no answerxe2x80x9d condition that may be due to equipment malfunction, power failure or other causes not necessarily attributable to the another party and other conditions that give rise to a failure to complete an attempted calling transaction.
When these conditions prevent call completion within the confines of a single telephone network, automatic messaging capabilities within that network may permit the calling party to record a message that the another party may later retrieve. However, in situations where larger numbers of networks and switches are involved, it may not be obvious which of the networks or switches need to execute the message storing function, how to bill the calling party for the messaging service or how to effectively handle a presently existing volume of calling parties desiring to avail themselves of message-storing and delivery services.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and process for telephone messaging that allows a message to be exchanged under a broader range of circumstances than is possible in the prior art.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a process for collection and delivery of voice messages. The process includes identifying information indicative of a calling party attempting to complete a call to another party and then identifying that a condition other than ring no answer or normal busy exists preventing the calling party from completing a call to the another party. In response to identifying that a condition exists that prevents call completion, the process includes storing a message from the calling party to the another party in a memory, storing the information indicative of the calling party in the memory and attempting to deliver the stored message to the another party at a later time.
In another aspect, the present invention includes an article., of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein. The computer readable code is configured to cause a messaging system to store and later attempt to deliver at least one message to be delivered. The computer readable program code in the article of manufacture is also configured to identify information indicative of a calling party attempting to complete a call to another party and to identify that a condition exists preventing the calling party from completing a call to the another party. In response to identifying that a condition other than ring no answer or normal busy exists preventing call completion, the computer readable program code in the article of manufacture is further configured to store a message from the calling party to the another party in a memory, to store the information indicative of the calling party in the memory and to attempt to deliver the stored message to the another party at a later time.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a computer-implemented messaging system. The messaging system includes memory configured to provide an operating system and operative to store files representing at least one message to be delivered and identification information indicative of a party leaving the at least one message and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to identify information indicative of a calling party attempting to complete a call to another party and to identify that a condition other than ring no answer or normal busy exists preventing the calling party from completing a call to the another party. In response to identification that a condition exists preventing call completion, the processing circuitry is further configured to store a message from the calling party to the another party in a memory, to store the information indicative of the calling party in the memory and to attempt to deliver the stored message to the another party at a later time.
In a still further aspect, the present invention includes a computer data signal embodied in a transmission medium. The computer data signal includes a call monitoring program configured to identify information indicative of a calling party attempting to complete a call to another party and to identify that a condition other than ring no answer or normal busy exists preventing the calling party from completing a call to the another party. The computer data signal also includes a data storage program configured to store a message from the calling party to the another party in a memory and to store the information indicative of the calling party in the memory and a message delivery program configured to attempt to deliver the stored message to the another party at a later time.